A lesson from centenarians

Those who reach 100 in good health generally have stayed active or very active into old age.

Of course sometimes there are exceptions to the rule…

Don't try this

Like the French woman who quit smoking at 117 because she couldn’t see well enough to light her cigarette and didn’t want anyone else to do it for her.

Exactly what genetic makeup and life history could combine to allow that is not known.

Dear Rookie

The rest of us have to hedge our bets.

It’s a balance of combining the right exercise with the right diet to help us self-repair and regenerate the best we can.

How to optimise exercise for longevity

In this chapter Valter Longo recommends:

Walk fast for an hour every day.
Take the stairs instead of escalators and lifts.
On the weekend walk everywhere, even to faraway places.
Do moderate exercise for 2.5–5 hours a week with some in the vigorous range. (The first 2.5 hours is the most beneficial.)
Use weight training or free weight exercises to strengthen all muscles.
To maximise muscle growth, consume at least 30 grams of protein in a single meal 1–2 hours after a relatively intense weight-training session.

My* thoughts:

Strength training is often overlooked. Maintaining strength delays frailty.
The social context of exercise makes a big difference to cognitive and emotional outcomes. Walk with friends/family. Play tennis. Kick up your heels at line dancing. Whatever you enjoy and can do.
Most of us find it hard to make exercise an ingrained habit. One of the best books I’ve read about changing behaviour is Atomic habits by James Clear. It’s worth reading twice.

* My opinion only. I’m neither a scientist nor a healthcare practitioner.

Take home message:

Get off your butt. Make it a habit. Enjoy.

And combine longevity-enhancing exercise with a longevity-enhancing diet.

Till next time...

Peter Jerrim
LifeX Australia

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About the author

Professor Valter Longo is the Edna M. Jones Professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences and Director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California – Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Los Angeles, one of the leading centres for research on ageing and age-related disease. Dr Longo is also the Director of the Longevity and Cancer Program at the IFOM Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan, Italy.

You're welcome to view Youtube videos featuring Dr Valter Longo on the science page of our website.